Tree Sap
by BadJohn
Summary: An abused Eevee is abandoned by her trainer, but meets a robust, blue friend in return. Can her new friend teach her the meaning of true friendship?
1. Chapter 1

"Worthless piece of crap."

Although she'd gotten it bad from her owner before, this was the worst. Her fur was already matted with drying blood from her last fight. She squinted, as grass was kicked at her face by her bitter trainer.

"Why do I even keep you around? You lost to a PINCER?! How friggin' lame are you?"

If she could speak English, she would be apologizing. Her chin to the dirt, she'd be groveling for forgiveness. Unfortunately, Eevee could only trill and squeak, in an ignored attempt at commiseration.

"I should have Charmeleon melt you down! Maybe your _skeleton_ could be useful." He lifted one of his poke-balls, containing his 'quarterback' starter Pokemon, Charmeleon. "You've lost EVERY fight, so I bet he'd kick your sorry fluffy butt too."

Eevee shuddered for a moment, but the Trainer put away the red and white ball. "Nah. You know what? Stay here. I don't care what you do, just don't follow me. Got it?"

Eevee looked up, terrified. She'd never make it without him. This trainer, however cruel, was all she knew. He'd hatched her. Had high hopes for her. But the pup was useless in combat. She didn't know how to fight well yet, having been given only a few short months to learn what took most Pokemon their whole adolescence. This impatient trainer had put too much on the little Eevee pup's shoulders.

As she begged with her eyes for another chance, a sudden, harsh hiss came from the bushes. The trainer nearly jumped out of his skin, as a blur of green and silver started for him.

A wild Scyther. Its wing-beats bowed the grass, as it landed on both feet. Before the trainer could reflexively draw a poke-ball, the Scyther slashed at him, cutting his sleeve and tossing him onto the grass.

"AGH! WHAT THE-" The trainer was immediately silent, clapping a hand over his mouth as the Scyther loomed over him, hissing and cocking its head to the side. It seemed to be deciding whether or not to simply kill the clumsy young man.

Suddenly, the slender, bug-like humanoid jerked backwards, barking in pain. "SAHAH!" It looked down, and Eevee bit harder into its heel. Silently, the pitiful little brown furry creature gnawed, standing her ground. She knew that she had no chance, and was giving her cruel trainer to flee. Loyal to the bitter end.

The trainer obliged, heedless of his Eevee's safety. He stood, and beat feet as fast as he could, sprinting away from the fray. Eevee got her wish. Her trainer had escaped.

Eevee took the blunt side of the Scyther's arm, smacked hard in the side. She flopped like a ragdoll, rolling across the grass. Doggedly she stood, growling and bearing her teeth, unwilling to surrender or run. She wanted to prove to herself, if no one else, that she had what it took to fight and win.

The Scyther beat its wings. She felt the gust of those powerful wings from a meter away. Scyther, unforgiving, began to fly circles around her. She followed his gaze.

This wasn't a fair fight, nor was it a sporting one. It was to the end, and Eevee was at a terrible disadvantage. Still, she charged. With two hops, and a leap, she pounced towards the Scyther.

With one swing, the Eevee was smacked away by the Scyther's arm. He wasn't cutting yet, but his strength alone battered Eevee aside.

She was all washed up now. Unable to stand and fight on, she laid alone in the grass. Scyther's wings stopped, and the angry bug walked forward, grinding its blades together.

Eevee didn't notice, but the sound of wingbeats returned. Incredibly fast, she felt a gust of wind pass over her, as another challenger hurtled past her. The blue blur approached her cruel opponent.

_CLANG! HISSSSSSS._

**_BAAAAAAAAM_****.**

The the sounds of fighting ended completely, punctuated by an impact that shook the Eevee's teeth. She opened her eyes, and perked up her ears.

She saw nothing, face down in the grass, but heard more footsteps. The Scyther was trilling, weak, fleeing, clearly in pain. Someone had saved her life, and she hadn't the strength to acknowledge them.

The last thing she saw were a pair of huge, bulging eyes. She could make out a dark, steely blue. A strangely friendly smile.

She felt hard, cool claws wrapping gently around the scruff of her neck. She felt her sore body bob as she was carried off, but she couldn't open her eyes to see who had hold of her.

Everything went black. All Eevee could do in the ebbing moments was hope that she'd wake up again.


	2. Chapter 2

Eevee awoke to harsh, crunching noises. She whimpered, her head fiercely hurting. Her eyes seemed glued shut.

She could feel cool patches on her fur. She worried for a moment that she'd been shaved. Her eyes peeled open. Eevee was totally covered in wet leaves. They felt strangely soothing. Almost angelic. But they were also sticky. So sticky that she couldn't remove herself from the 'bed' she was in, a hollowed out tree stump.

There was a strange, sweet aroma everywhere. She couldn't find anything by scent, the overpowering, sweet scent veiling her sense of smell. Her first priority was to find her master.

And then, she saw it. With fear stricken eyes, she spotted something blue, and very clearly alive. The creature moved leisurely behind a tree, just out of view as she tried to focus her blurry vision.

The pup heard loud crunching, and imagined the worst. Some predator, munching bones?

No.

The creature's munching sounds stopped. It seemed to be reacting to Eevee's huffing breaths. Eevee panicked, struggling against the sticky leaves that bound her to the log.

Stepping from behind the tree, the creature revealed itself fully to Eevee, who watched and analyzed him cautiously. A round, hard carapace, colored a shining dark blue. A horn that stretched up from his forehead. Stubby, powerful legs and long, hard arms that terminated in cream colored claws. His body was covered in light grass stains, and his mouth was lined with tree sap and splinters of bark.

His antennae, round spheres over his head, wagged lightly, its tongue licking the sap off of his face. The carapace around his mouth was structured in a way that made him constantly smile. His friendly eyes fixed on the Eevee.

A Heracross. She'd never seen one, and had no idea what it was, knowing only that it was a fellow Pokemon, and a three feet bigger than her. Her thirteen pounds next to his one-hundred and change, made for bad odds in a fight.

She was clearly trapped. Doomed. She resigned herself to cruel fate as the Heracross tromped forward.

Its hand wrapped around the scruff of her neck. She winced, preparing for her final stand.

Heracross lifted her, unsticking her from the innards of the tree stump.

_NOW! _This was Eevee's chance to fight and win! This happy bug had a surprise attack incoming, as Eevee prepared a banquet of knuckle sandwiches.

Her paws swung towards his face. He pulled her away from his eyes and mouth, startled, but not letting go. His teeth bore not in anger, but confused, frightened shock. Eevee clicked and clacked her teeth together, praying by some miracle that she would find his throat with her fangs.

Heracross released a breathy, jolly cackle. He quickly realized it was IMPOSSIBLE for her to hurt him. He reeled his arm in, and she pawed at his face, claws sliding off of his hard, shining carapace.

_HIS EYES! HIS EYES! _Eevee's eyes blazed with rage as she swung. How powerfully she swung with her sore little arms! She aimed for his face. He simply shut his eyes. Even his eyelids were thick, and well armored. He smiled slyly. Almost mockingly. With a body of steel, claw meant little.

_Alright. Enough of that. _Heracross tucked Eevee under his arm, and walked to the tree.

Eevee, tired out, did nothing, observing his behavior and awaiting a chance to retaliate. Searching for a weakness.

He bit into the tree, crunching it with his jaws. He backed up, satisfied. He then reached into the tree with his free hand, pulling out a long, sticky trail of sap. With his claws, he worked it into a ball small enough for Eevee's mouth. Holding Eevee under his arm, he stuffed the ball into her mouth. She winced, then sucked on the syrupy orb.

_Sweet_. She'd never experienced sweetness. For a moment, she forgot her prideful anger and happily let the ball of sap slowly melt in her mouth. It gave her much needed energy. It was much more satisfying than the dry pellets that her Trainer had given her. Heracross reached further into the tree, and pulled forth a white grub. He took it with him back to the stump, depositing Eevee there. Once again, she was stuck in the log. Heracross gave her the grub to eat, then sat beside the log.

Eevee once again assumed the worst. He must be fattening her up for later consumption!

_Sleep, child_. No. He was simply guarding the pup, so she could regain her strength.

Thus began the friendship of the Heracross, and his tiny, _currently_ ungrateful guest.


	3. Chapter 3

Heracross napped. It had been two days. Eevee was free from the log, her strength regained. Heracross was satisfied that she had healed enough to move and act on her own, but he always stayed close to her. Despite his seemingly lazy nature, there was a diligence to his actions.

Eevee was new to the forest. He knew that the pup was safe with him, but if she were to venture too far, she could find trouble quite easily.

Eevee patrolled the area around Heracross, clinging to the hope that her trainer would return. Aside from her personal safety, Heracross thought nothing of the stressed little ball of fur. Occasionally, he would give her more sap and grubs. The pup wasn't leaving anytime soon, so Heracross decided to friend her.

She was having none of it. Any attempt for him to approach her was met with a hostile growl. Heracross would cackle, then back away. It was almost a game to him during the day.

Heracross stood, yawning. Eevee was in plain sight, as per the midday norm. He stood, resting on all fours, his wing casing lifting and revealing his thick wings. He stretched them whenever he awoke.

Eevee watched him cautiously, hissing as he passed. He reached out to pat her, and the pup gave his armored forearm a swat.

_Back off, buster_. Her fiery glare gave Heracross a slight shiver, but he chortled to himself all the same. She seemed to be angry at him for some reason or another. Heracross simply walked past her, and leaned forward, chomping into the tree behind her.

Sitting on her haunches, she watched the blue beetle, studying the passive Heracross with keen interest. For all his laziness, he had decent strength. He usually used it to feed his healthy appetite, his claws and jaws tearing through tree bark.

Was this really the creature that rescued her from that Scyther? Eevee wondered how Heracross had rescued her. Was he really that strong?

Slow, steady wing-beats filled the air. Heracross looked up, his usual, stamped on smile turning towards a small flock of Butterfree.

They swooped down, cautious of Eevee, but totally trusting of Heracross. He lifted his claw, and jammed it into the tree, scraping away bark. With a swing of his arm, he pierced the tree through and through, and repeated the process until there were multiple holes. The Butterfree flock landed in front of him on the tree, feeding on the sap. Some nuzzled him in thanks. Heracross smiled proudly.

Eevee watched, confused. His actions genuinely, and directly benefitted those Butterfree. He was acting on their behalf, knowing they hadn't the strength to tear into the tree for the sap.

Eevee sat on her paws, as Heracross handed her her own daily orb of tree sap.

Heracross looked at the small creature, who didn't hiss or bark, as per usual. She took the tree sap from him quietly. She glanced up at him once, then ate.

Heracross sat in front of her, and Eevee looked up at him. _Why do you help me? You don't owe me anything. _Eevee hiffed and barked at Heracross. The vocalizations were questioning, rather than aggressive.

Before he could respond in any real way, a rumbling, stomping, approaching beast broke up the peaceful atmosphere. Heracross's smile darkened, and he stood. _Stay behind me. _The blue beetle rumbled its wings, and grunted angrily. Eevee obeyed, hiding behind him, trembling in fear.

The tree that the Butterfree fed on was split in half by a swing of a mighty purple claw. Most of the bug Pokemon scattered in fear of the violent, carnivorous newcomer. Out of its territory, and bristling with spines and muscle, a Nidoking was itching to make dinner of something.

One single Butterfree was pinned under the tree. The Nidoking knelt down to bite it in half. The Butterfree screamed in pain and fear, as the Nidoking's jaws approached.

Heracross's arm was all the Nidoking tasted. The beetle Pokemon stepped in the way, wedging his spiked forearm into the Nidoking's jaws, smiling.

The purple beast broke a fang against Heracross' armor. Nidoking recoiled, roaring in pain.

Heracross cocked his arm, and swung it. The beetle's clawed hand pushed a crater in the Nidoking's stomach, the hard blow forcing the larger purple opponent to stumble back.

Roaring, the Nidoking lurched forward, intending to fall upon Heracross and crush him under a rain of blows from his powerful claws.

Heracross jumped, and wrapped an arm around Nidoking. His wings beat, and he turned in midair, using Nidoking's momentum and weight against the purple beast. With a single spin, he hurled Nidoking up and over, flipping and smashing him against the ground.

The Butterfree struggled to break free of the tree's weight, still trapped. Satisfied he'd won, Heracross lifted the tree, allowing the Butterfree to escape.

Nidoking stood, and kicked the tree, hurling Heracross backwards with an unexpected, powerful blow. Heracross was dazed and knocked on his back, spinning in circles on the soft grass.

Nidoking turned to the Butterfree, still intent on finding a meal.

_Chomp_. Eevee bit his tail with all her might, tearing at it with her tiny, sharp fangs. Her fighting spirit returned as she joined the fray, intent on being useful, and rescuing the Butterfree.

Nidoking turned, but Eevee stayed on the beast's tail. The angry Nidoking chased its own tail for a moment, enraged.

Eevee heard a furious buzzing noise. Heracross had gotten up, and was pissed. The pup remembered hearing the sound before, when Heracross had decked Scyther days ago.

His horn was borne and shining. He lanced it into the Nidoking's stomach. The blow knocked the beast end over end, sending Eevee rolling away, more dizzy than hurt.

Heracross seized the Nidoking's tail._ I hate to be rude, but i__t is time for you to leave. _Heracross spun in a circle, swinging Nidoking round and round. His wings beat, to add to his momentum. He released, and Nidoking was hurled up and away, disappearing from sight. Heracross was more than strong. He was herculanean.

Finished, Heracross turned to his fallen, dizzy comrade, Eevee. She attempted to stand, but her pupils darted this way and that, confused and terrified.

Heracross put one hand on her head. Mistaking Heracross for the Nidoking, she lifted her paw and swiped at hard as she could, barking with wrath. Heracross cried out, and staggered back, clutching his chest where the scratch had landed.

She regained her bearings a moment later, and realized what she'd done. In her desperation to fight back against an enemy that wasn't there, she'd actually managed to wound Heracross. Two thick scratches lay across his chest.

Eevee barked once in frustration and sadness. The only person she'd managed to hurt was the one trying to help her. She lowered her head, feeling truly worthless. Heracross patted his chest, none the worse for wear, save for the cosmetic damage brought on by the scrape. He prodded Eevee's head. _I'm fine. _He thumped his chest, smiling down at her.

_...Why do you help me?_ Eevee rested her head against Heracross. He kneaded her scalp, and rubbed her ear playfully. _You don't owe me anything._

_It's not what you're owed. It's what you deserve. _Heracross smiled, and walked back to his broken tree, picking what sap out of it he could. He rolled some in a ball, and offered it to Eevee.

Eevee took it, barked once with true appreciation, and snuggled underneath his arm.


	4. Chapter 4

Heracross tromped through the woods, his wings occasionally fluttering, producing a low buzzing noise. It was a warning noise for enemies, and a welcoming noise for peaceful Pokemon. Unless you were willing to play nicely, coming near Heracross or his friends was a mistake.

Eevee followed him faithfully, bounding to and fro. She was a bit more hyperactive, coming out of her angry, prideful shell. She was being more like herself than she'd ever been, living out her lost puppy-hood.

Heracross abided her energetic nature in stride. It wasn't in the blue beetle to begrudge anyone for being happy. He rather enjoyed this new, happy Eevee. They were true friends at last!

Eevee leaped in front of him, hissing. She wanted to play-fight. Heracross stopped, and his eyes slanted in mock anger, his carefree smile widening.

Eevee pounced, her jaws open in a fierce display of teeth, ready to bite. She landed on Heracross's shoulders, chomping on his horn. Heracross's balance wasn't even slightly upset as she gnawed on his iron-like horn. He reached up, and plucked her off, pinning her on the grass with his claws, tickling her belly.

Eevee thrashed and swiped, biting his claws to little avail until Heracross let her up. The puppy jumped up, poised to move.

_Woooooooosh_.

Heracross, startled, stared at the ground where Eevee once was. She was gone in a flash. Heracross could vaguely make out her figure darting to and fro, but couldn't keep up. Eevee was a brown and cream colored blur, moving with the wind.

_Whiff wif SOOOOSH_. Heracross couldn't keep up with her incredible speed. His eyes ping-ponged back and forth, wondering where she had gone. The beetle could hear Eevee moving, but his eyes couldn't fix on her location.

In an instant, Eevee was on his head again, biting his horn, having latched on while Heracross was still beguiled and looking for her. _IMPOSSIBLE. How is she this fast? _In a simple play fight, she'd moved so quickly that she appeared to be invisible!

Heracross plucked her off, and set her down, tickling her stomach again. Her muscles were thicker now. She'd grown a bit too. Heracross didn't know much about her species, but she seemed healthier.

Oddly, however, the roots of her fur were pale green. Hm...she's changing. Is she sick?

Eevee stood, panting. More evident than the other physicical changes were the mental ones. She was truly happy with her new life in the woods. The puppy's smile mirrored Heracross quite often, a content, stamped on grin replacing her former angry, sulking expression. She even smiled as she slept. She'd learned to eat grubs and leaves and sap.

Heracross chose to keep a closer eye on her, but not to worry. Her changes were for the better, after all. It was getting late. He stretched, then tromped towards a tree, and took a hard bite into its trunk.

Eevee hopped onto his back, watching him reach into the trunk. He pulled grubs and sap from it, and handed Eevee a fistful. Eevee licked his arm, and bit a grub away from his claws, bouncing away from him to eat it. Heracross drank his dinner, a smooth, warm dollop of tree sap, and leaned against the tree.

"VvvvVVVvvvv..." He began to sleep immediately, as Eevee ate. She curled up in front of him. She wasn't sleepy, but she didn't like letting Heracross sleep alone in the open. She watched him.

"VvVVVVvvvvVvvv..." His wings vibrated beneath their shell as he slept. Eevee leaned her head against his shell, and shut her eyes for a moment.

Eevee stood. Something in her called her to get up.

She turned, and looked deep into the woods.

_...What is that? _Though she couldn't see it, something lingered in her mind, as if on the periphery of her vision. Something was calling out to her from inside her mind.

She sniffed, then made an attentive hiffing noise. Whatever it was, she had to go find it for whatever reason. It was too strangely alluring to ignore. She was nowhere near it, but she could almost taste something on the tip of her tongue. She caught its scent, even though there was nothing to smell. She could hear it, even in the absence of any real noise.

She began to walk, but then noticed Heracross. Not wanting to leave him without some acknowledgement that she'd be back, she began to pull at the grass, impatient.

She couldn't wait for him to wake up. She had to go to whatever it was NOW. She could feel it. She tore the grass faster, her claws digging into a hole. She made a line in the grass, pointing in the direction she'd gone, then she turned.

_WOOOOOOOOOSH._ In an instant, she darted off.


	5. Chapter 5

Eevee came to a stop. Surrounded by a puddle of shallow water, the object that called to her stood.

Just a rock. A mossy, dirty rock. Eevee felt just as drawn to it now as before. She walked through the puddle, her feet dripping and her fur becoming damp. She pawed the smooth rock. She clawed the moss patiently. It regrew almost instantly. Twas no ordinary moss. It glowed. Eevee, unable to look away, felt the light flow into her eyes. It washed over her, a warm, soft feeling. She sat there, mesmerized by it.

Alone in the night, sitting in front of the rock, the puppy remained there, forgetting everything that was before, and anything that could come after. All that mattered was the rock, and the mysterious warm glow.

She couldn't even feel her body changing.

* * *

"TZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. VZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ."

Heracross stomped along, occasionally lifting himself off of the ground with his wings, making a alert, terrified buzz. _Where are you?! Where are you?!_

Heracross looked around. It was day. The ground where Eevee was sleeping had been torn up. Something may have dragged her away. Heracross frantically searched for her, his Butterfree and Caterpie friends lingering around him, attempting to calm him down.

Heracross stopped and slammed his claw against a tree. Butterfree sailed around him, sprinkling calming powders, trying to ease their guardian's temper, but he would not be soothed.

"Vrrrrrrrrrr..." Heracross looked around at them. _Help me! Find her. Find her now!_

The Butterfree obeyed, scattering to retrieve Eevee. They had no idea where to look, but their numbers would help.

_If someone took her, I'll tear them apart!_ Heracross clawed the ground, his smile gone. He had a straight, angry, worried expression.

"Holy crap! A Heracross!" Heracross turned, spotting the person who had blurted the phrase. It was a young man, with a belt of poke-balls and a wide grin. Heracross remembered his dumb grey fedora instantly.

_**IT'S HIM. **__The __Trainer__._

Heracross took a bold step forward. Rarely did he prepare himself for battle out of anger, but this was a serious situation. "I can test my NEW Pokemon on him!" The Trainer grinned, adjusting his stupid hat, and tossed a poke-ball up in the air. "GO Raticate!" The pokeball clacked against the ground. In a flash of light, a brown rat exited the ball, claws raised, and tail swishing. "Let's see how you do against HIM! He's fully evolved, ya dumb beetle!"

Heracross waved his arms to and fro, ready to fight. Raticate pounced forward, teeth borne. "RATICATE! Use bite!" Raticate's jaws scaped against the beetle's shoulder. Heracross lurched forward, tackling the Raticate and sending it flying backwards with a bump from his powerful shoulder.

Heracross used the opening, hovering, and swinging around towards the Raticate's flank. His horn smashed against the Raticate's ribs, a blunt, painful strike that ended the battle.

Raticate tumbled across the grass, unconscious. "...You..." Angry, the Trainer ground his teeth. "Alright, playtime is OVER! Charmeleon! GO!" Heracross's expression darkened. A fire type. In his woods.

He needed to end this fight quickly. The ball popped open, and a Charmeleon prepared himself for battle, his tail wagging. The flaming tail lit the dry grass behind him. Heracross hissed in anger.

Charging forward, Heracross lifted his claw. _**SIFF**_. Heracross jabbed the air with tremendous force. Charmeleon was quite fast, avoiding the powerful blow.

"Charmeleon! Use scratch! Mess him up!"

The Charmeleon planted its feet, and swung its claws. The Heracross caught the blow, blocking it.

His armor steamed. The enemy was even hot to the touch. Painfully so. Charmeleon sensed the weakness, and swung its free hand. Heracross blocked the swing, holding Charmeleon's arm and gritting his teeth. The two were locked in a power struggle. Heracross proved stronger, pushing Charmeleon back, despite the pain.

"YOU GOT HIM RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT HIM! BURN HIS HEAD OFF!"

Fire pooled in Charmeleon's mouth. Flame oozed from his teeth, and he leaned his head back. "CHAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The flames nearly roasted the beetle's head. He leaned his body to the side, avoiding the fire. It flew past him, wilting the grass behind him. Heracross had a serious, intense look on his plain, honest blue face. He leaned his head back.

He swung his head forward, the horn bashing Charmeleon on the nose. The red lizard was tossed backwards, barely regaining his balance. Charmeleon was hurt, but not down yet. He spat fire as Heracross charged. Unable to dodge, Heracross was engulfed in the wide stream of flame.

"You got him!"

Heracross burst through the inferno, his blue armor shining. He'd endured the flames, and he was ready to finish this fight. Heracross's horn slammed Charmeleon at full force. Charmeleon was unconscious on contact, thrown face down on the grass.

Heracross planted one foot on the unconscious pokemon, growling.

"DAMMIT! My pokemon suck! YOU SUCK! Why can't I find a reliable fighter?!"

Heracross smiled, stepping away from his fallen opponent. He stepped towards the trainer, ready to finish his business. _You're going to stay out of my woods this time. _Heracross had no intention of hurting or killing the boy. He just wanted to throw a decent scare into him, and make sure he didn't come back.

"...CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..." Charmeleon, loyal to his master, growled as it got back on its hands and knees, his skin glowing as he staggered to his feet. His eyes were blood red, his skin turning a bright, molten orange.

_Oh no. _Heracross readied himself.

"Ooooooh! GO Charmeleon! He's evolving! You're in for it now, Beetle!" The Trainer pumped his fist, as Charmeleon grew, rising up. The dirt around him began to heat and compress beneath his weight.

Heracross stood his ground bravely, as wings sprouted. He wasn't up against Charmeleon anymore. He was head to head against a dragon.

"Meet Charizard!" The trainer tipped his dumb hat, as Charizard finished evolving, spitting a stream of fire into the air, turning the atmosphere red and hazy with heat.


	6. Chapter 6

The moss stopped glowing. The now former pup was alone again. The moss no longer held meaning for her. The glow had ceased, and the water dried up. The moss, having given her all the energy it had, faded to a dull, flaky brown.

How long had she been there? It was daylight!

_...Did the rock get smaller?_ She moved about with unease. She felt strangely bare. Her body felt stronger. Refreshed. _...I'd better find-_

Her thoughts were cut off by a strange, hot burst in the distance. She turned, and a wave of heat hit her face. She could smell smoke.

Strangest of all, she could FEEL trees dying far away. Their cries were cut short by the crackling, oppressive heat of open flame. And she could feel the fading life of her dearest companion._HERACROSS! I'm coming!_

_SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOF._

She was faster than before. Her legs were longer. She could see her paws. They were different. Every part of her felt new and strange. But there was no time to ponder. She had to act.

* * *

Butterfree gathered, floating overhead, safely away from the fight. Their champion Heracrosswas sprawled in a circle of burnt grass. The brave beetle was defeated, laying with his eyes shut. He struggled to rise, but the heat sapped him of his strength.

Charizard was too great an adversary. His teeth were like wrought iron. His claws were long and sharp.

Heracross had stood up to, matched, and even countered the physical blows, despite Charizard's size. What had finished him was the sheer firepower.

_...Forgive me...friends..._ Heracross scratched the ground, regretting his defeat. He failed to protect his home, or find his friend._ I've failed._

The Butterfree swooped down, harassing the Charizard, trying to give Heracross time to run away. They refused to leave their protector to die, but Charizard shrugged off their tackles and kicks. He didn't seem to even care as they assaulted his head.

WOOOOOOOOOOSH.

A green streak split the grass, and a new challenger bashed Charizard in the jaw with a massive headbutt. Charizard hissed, and snapped his jaws, but the former pup avoided the bite and landed on her feet, out of reach.

Her skin was a light, cream color. Her ears were green like leaves. Small tufts of green fur marked her chest and the top of her head. Her tail wagged.

Eevee was no more, having evolved into Leafeon. She stood in front of Charizard, ready to fight and win.

"Another pokemon? What kind is this one?" The Trainer scratched his head.

The leafy fox spotted her former trainer. She remembered him, clenching her teeth in anger. _How dare you come here?! How dare you treat my friend so SHAMEFULLY?! _Leafeon moved, swooping to the left. She swung her tail, and a green blade sliced through the air, swiping across Charizard's face, blinding him for the moment. Leafeon zoomed across the grass, her claws slashing Charizard's knee, forcing the creature down.

She was nimble. Her movements came naturally. Charizard was clumsy and sore from his fight with Heracross, and unable to fly with his new wings. Despite the type and size advantage, the fight was out of his favor.

Leafeon leaped onto Charizard's neck, and bit the back of his head.

"CHOOOOO!" The dragon thrashed, throwing her off. She relentlessly attacked again, biting Charizard's lip. The dragon threw her off yet again, but fell to his hands and knees.

_I may not have iron skin, or a horn, but I'm strong too! _Leafeon strafed swiftly. Charizard looked up and breathed his fire. The green blur weaved to and fro, leaping over the flaming stream. She was too fast for Charizard to even pose a threat to her with his clumsy, slow attacks.

Her skull bashed against his with great force, throwing the Charizard backwards. The beast fainted, leaving his trainer stunned. "...Charizard, return!" His poke-ball shot a red beam, and he reclaimed his unconscious dragon.

Leafeon looked at her bewildered Trainer. The boy who had abused and abandoned her. She hissed at him and his dumb grey fedora, stepping forward slowly.

"Don't hurt me!" The trainer fell backwards, terrified.

She stepped towards him. He panicked and backed up, but Leafeon bit his shirt, shaking him back and forth with her jaws. _**You're not my master anymore! You hurt my friend! Don't come back!**_ She butted her head against his twice, bruising his forehead and knocking his hat off. Before he could grab the fedora, Leafeon snatched it in her jaws, and shook it back and forth, tearing it to shreds with her razor teeth.

Leafeon watched him leave, as he sprinted away like a coward. She turned back to Heracross, who seemed to have stirred a little. He was still trying to get up. His friends, the Butterfree and Caterpie flew and crawled to him. Leafeon was the first at his side, trilling in fearful concern.

Heracross looked up. All he could see was a cream colored, green accented blur. A pair of brown eyes, and the familiar scent of tree sap. greeted him as he slipped unconscious.

It all went black. He could only hope, as his eyes slowly closed, that he would wake up again.


	7. Chapter 7 (Final)

_Eevee?_

Heracross opened his eyes. He looked around, standing up and raising his claws to fight his enemy, the Charizard. He immediately realized that some time had passed since his battle. There was no fire, or haze. He lowered his fists, looking around. _Friends?_

He was set in a hollowed log. He could feel the soft wingbeats of Butterfree around him. His burn wounds didn't hurt. On the contrary, they felt cold and soothing. The Butterfree had laid wet, sappy leaves on his armor. The medicine he used to heal Eevee when he first met her. She'd told them to do this, clearly, but where was she now?

Heracross stood. He could hear the soft swishing of water. The Butterfree landed around him, pointing their stubby arms towards the other side of the lake.

Heracross could make out another pokemon. A cream and green colored, foxlike creature. He'd never seen one of her type before.

She looked into the water, pondering her appearance. Leafeon tilted her head, as she pawed gently at her reflection. She missed her brown fur, but rather liked her new, more mature, sleek appearance.

Then she looked up. "LEEEEEEE!" She squealed with delight to see Heracross was ok. She darted to him, startling the Beetle. The leafy fox stopped in her tracks, not far from him. She saw uncertainty in his eyes. The two stared at each-other, unsure for a moment. _...Do you recognize me?_

Leafeon expected the worst. Had their friendship faltered? Was her new appearance more than he could handle somehow? Did being evolved mean that they weren't friends anymore?

Heracross's expression was blank at first, unreadable. Then he began to walk away. Leafeon lowered her head, crushed that her friend could no longer remember her face.

Heracross stopped at a tree, and placed his mouth on it. It took some effort to bite through due to his fatigue, but he chomped into it, and reached his hand in. In a moment, he had rolled a small ball of sugary tree sap, and offered it to Leafeon. _Of course I recognize you. My how you've grown! You must be hungry. _Heracross rubbed her head with his claws gently.

The leafy fox pounced on Heracross's head, overjoyed, biting his horn. She was a little bigger now, and almost knocked the beetle off balance, but Heracross pulled her off and tickled her belly, the two laughing and play fighting.

The Butterfree and Caterpie were joyous as well, and Heracross moved to to punch holes in a tree for them to drink from. With a few mighty blows, a tree was open, and they gratefully sipped from it. He took some sap for himself too, filling his belly, and preparing to go back t sleep.

Leafeon licked Heracross's cheek, and Heracross buzzed happily in response, walking back to the hollow tree stump. It would be awhile before he was in fighting condition again. Leafeon faithfully sat beside him as he took a nap, guarding her infirm friend.

She looked at Heracross. He still had the scratch from when Eevee had scraped his armor with her claws long ago.

_Even though I scratched you, you told me it was ok. You kept me safe, even if I was useless. I love you, my truest friend._

Leafeon curled up, grooming herself quietly as Heracross snored. The Butterfree swooped to and fro, celebrating the reunion and victory of their comrades.

And thus, the two guardians of the forest rested.

_Friendship isn't what you're owed. It's just about loving, and knowing that you're loved in return._

**_F_****_I_****_N_****_._**


End file.
